In a letter to Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, the senators voiced their support for Wisconsin's shovel-ready proposal.

"Expanding Wisconsin's high-speed, passenger rail service would be a boon to our economy," said Feingold," helping to create jobs when we need them most."

Kohl said, "I'm proud to join with my colleagues in fighting for Wisconsin's fair share of federal stimulus dollars."

Both say the rail proposal will create an estimated 13,000 jobs in the state by 2013 and save 27.6 million gallons of fuel over a 10-year period.

The state would get $651.8 million in stimulus funding to invest in high-speed rail.

Here is a copy of Feingold and Kohl's letter:

The Honorable Ray LaHood
Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Ave, S.E. Washington, D.C. 20590

Dear Secretary LaHood:

We are writing in strong support of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation's application to the Federal Railroad Administration for funding to provide high speed passenger rail service between Milwaukee and Madison under the High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program.

The Wisconsin proposal would build off of the existing successful Hiawatha Amtrak service that already links Milwaukee and Chicago by extending the service to Madison with additional stops in Brookfield, Oconomowoc and Watertown. It is hard to overestimate the variety of benefits that would accrue from linking the two largest cities in Wisconsin as part of an expanding rail network in the Midwest.

With a main goal of the stimulus legislation being to create and retain jobs, it is important to highlight that this project is estimated to create nearly 13,000 jobs in Wisconsin by 2013. In addition to creating many highly skilled positions, expansion of passenger rail is also expected to be an important driver of economic growth in and around the communities served by the expanded route. On the flip side, without the project, traffic congestion is likely to grow in this corridor and be an increasing waste of time and drag on productivity.

At the same time as this project is helping to improve the economy, it will also address important long term issues of traffic congestion and environmental sustainability by shifting cars off the road. Wisconsin estimates that automobile trips will be reduced by 7.8 million over ten years, saving an estimated 27.6 million gallons of fuel and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 269,000 tons. But the statistics only tell part of the story, as the improved passenger rail will also interconnect with other modes of transportation such as public transit and this improved mobility is expected to promote more livable and desirable communities.

Wisconsin has been planning for this expansion of passenger rail between Milwaukee and Madison for many years and the majority of the groundwork for the project is completed. So the project is essentially 'shovel-ready,' reducing the risk of delays and meeting a key criterion in creating jobs quickly as part of the stimulus program. For example, an environmental assessment of the corridor has already been completed and approved by the Federal Railroad Administration in 2004. Additionally, Wisconsin has shown strong support for passenger rail and has existing bonding authority that it has used in the past to purchase the Milwaukee Amtrak station in 2007 and more recently to purchase two new train sets for use on the Hiawatha and eventually the expanded service to Madison from Milwaukee.

While linking Wisconsin's two largest cities with passenger rail is a major step in and of itself, this project is also part of a larger vision for creating a more robust passenger rail network throughout the Midwest. Wisconsin has been working with other Midwestern states for over a decade to put together a long term plan for an interconnected network that will be stronger and more effective than a number of discrete projects. While the Milwaukee to Madison expansion is a shovel-ready component of this vision, ultimately the plan would be to connect to Minneapolis and other cities in the region.

We believe the proposal to expand passenger rail service from Milwaukee to Madison will be an important economic driver for Wisconsin and the Midwest, while at the same time addressing long-term transportation needs in a sustainable manner. While many regions are applying for a portion of the $8 billion in high-speed rail funding included in the stimulus bill, we believe Wisconsin is unique in its progress and prior commitment to bringing high-speed rail to the State. We share the State's commitment to this valuable project and encourage you to give the application serious consideration.

Sincerely,

Senator Russell D. Feingold
Senator Herb Kohl

(The preceding report appeared on the Web site www.wkowtv.com on November 6, 2009.)